Teen who played child gangster in movie 'that glorified gang life' admits to murdering man in street shooting
9
View
comments
A teenager who portrayed an adolescent gangster in an independent film lambasted for glorifying gang life has admitted to murdering an expectant father in a street shooting.
Jeremy Sanchez, 16, has confessed to chasing Kenneth Archbold, 19, and gunning him down at 2am on July 15 in Harlem, New York - six weeks before the victim's daughter was born.
Sanchez, who was arraigned last week, told police about his role in the killing when he was arrested for allegedly taking part in an armed robbery attempt in Washington Heights.
The arrest comes just months after Sanchez starred in 'Toddlers', a film about teenagers ruling the streets with guns, knives and arson, the New York Daily News reported.
Scroll down for video
Arrest: Jeremy Sanchez, who featured in a controversial film about teenage gangsters (pictured), has been arrested for killing a 19-year-old man in New York
The movie, which was released on DVD in January, shows Sanchez's character 'J' brandishing a gun as he runs through the streets before shooting two people dead in their home, the News reported.
In the one-minute trailer posted to YouTube, other children as young as 11 wave firearms around, while a girl is kidnapped by thugs and a man is shot in the head.
Director Termaine Brown, known as 'M5', said he chose real children from rough neighbourhoods rather than actors to reflect reality.
RELATED ARTICLES
Pictured: The Red Bulls soccer coach brutally stabbed to... 
Masked gunman jumps in car and shoots five people before...
Mother arrested for giving her 11-year-old daughter a...
Share this article
Share'That's what’s going on, I’m just showing it,' he said. 'You hear about these murders, but people don’t see how it happens. I show how these incidents happen. These are real life situations.'
But the film was criticised for glorifying street violence.
'This is not entertainment,' Iesha Sekou, the founder of anti-gang organization Street Corner Resources, said. 'We don’t need to promote kids carrying guns.'
Controversial: Sanchez featured in independent film Toddlers, which was released on DVD earlier this year
Jackie Rowe-Adams, who lost two sons to gun violence, added to WPIX: 'When I saw that clip of a little child who is no more than eleven or twelve year old, it's just disturbing.'
The victim's mother said she was sickened to see Sanchez toting a gun in the trailer.
'He thinks he’s living out a movie,' she told the Daily News. 'My son is gone. He’s not coming back. His daughter is going to have no father. I don’t think he understands that.
'He thinks he's living out a movie. My son is gone. He's not coming back. I don't think he understands that'
Victim's mother
Of the trailer, she added: 'I was just very disturbed to see the gun in (Sanchez’s) hand and see him shoot. It just brings back what happened to Kenneth.'
Sanchez was arraigned last week on murder and weapons charges for the death of Kenneth Archbold. He had scrawled 'OY' - his gang name - on his prison jumpsuit.
He pleaded not guilty during the hearing despite previously admitting he had chased Archbold and a friend and carried out the murder.
'We started chasing them,' he told police after his arrest. 'I went after one, but he got away. When I came back (Archbold) was being beaten up. I had a .380 pistol and I shot him three times.'
Archbold died in front of Harlem hospital.
He had grown up in Harlem, but moved to Teaneck, New Jersey, with his aunt to escape the gun violence in the neighborhood. On the night of his slaying, he had returned for a party.
'His daughter will never see him,' his mother added. 'They need to stop the violence. More and more innocent kids are getting killed in the crossfire.'
Despite the criticism the film received, Brown said he plans to make a sequel to Toddlers. He would not address Archbold's killing.
VIDEO: Watch the chilling trailer for 'Toddlers'
ncG1vNJzZmivp6x7pa3IpbCmmZmhe6S7ja6iaKaVrMBwrdGtoJyklWJ%2Fc32Tb2lsZ3qav6a52GaKmqaTnbK7ebOenKdloKGuurHDZpqhoZyZeqitzaCqrZ2iYrCwutOrpq%2Bdoqi2oriMn6ClpV2Wsa6106xkgZmiobKuedKtqZ6dpGLAqbvOraCnn16dwa64